The invention relates to a device for suspending objects from a part of a motor vehicle seat, such as a backrest, a headrest or a headrest mounting of a vehicle seat.
A device of this type is disclosed in DE 10 2010 022 392 A1 from the applicant, to which reference is made. The device disclosed therein comprises a fastening element having a receiving socket for attaching the device to the vehicle seat part, a plug-in element that can be coupled to the receiving socket by means of a locking mechanism for releasably locking the plug-in element in the receiving socket, and a support arm arranged on the plug-in element for suspending the objects.
The support arm is hook-shaped and comprises a bottom wall and an end wall that extends approximately vertically and is arranged on the front end of the bottom wall, on the upper end of which end wall a holding-down means is arranged which is oriented towards the plug-in element and extends approximately in parallel with the bottom wall.
The support arm is connected to the plug-in element by way of a rotary joint which is arranged on the rear end of the bottom wall and has an axis of rotation which extends horizontally and substantially in parallel with the broad side of the backrest and/or headrest, and can be folded out by approximately 180° from a folded-in out-of-use position, in which the holding-down means of the support arm rests against the upper top wall of the plug-in element such that said support arm is oriented towards the plug-in element and is substantially congruent with said upper top wall of said plug-in element (FIGS. 7 and 9), into an in-use position, in which the support arm is oriented approximately horizontally (FIGS. 8 and 10).
In order to fold the support arm in and out, a specific clearance has to be provided. If, for example, the device is fastened to the rods of a headrest mounting, the headrest has to be adjusted to a corresponding height, which may be contrary to the safety requirements.
If the receiving socket has to be installed in the backrest, the plug-in element has to be extended so far that the support arm is outside the backrest in the folded-in out-of-use position, which results in the support arm protruding well beyond the backrest in the in-use position, results in a hindrance or even a hazard to passengers in the backseat, and is also not aesthetically pleasing.
The large lever between the receiving socket and the fastening point of the loads requires that the device be robustly connected to the vehicle seat part, and that the receiving socket, plug-in element, rotary joint and support arm have a very stable and correspondingly costly design.
Furthermore, when the tilt of the backrest is adjusted, the support arm is moved into different inclined positions such that an adjustable end stop would have to be provided on the rotary joint in order to allow for the angle of tilt of the backrest, and this would lead to a substantial increase in production costs.